Ditching-machine



(No Model.)

0. SHELMIDINE.

DITOHING MACHINE. No; 306,870. Patented Oct. 21, 1884.

WITNESSES INVENTQR:

BY m

' ATTORNEYS;

N. Pinks Photo-Lithogra her, Washington Dv c Urirrn TATES CHARLES SHELMIDINE, or Boone, IOWA.

DITCHING- MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 306,870, dated October 21,1884.

Application filed Aprill, 1384. (No model.)

To (ZZZ whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, CHARLES SHELMIDINE, of Boone, in the county of Boone and State of Iowa, have invented a new and Improved I Ditching-Machine, of which th following isa \IO earth out of the ditch that the machine cuts and deposits it on the surface of the ground at the sides of the ditch.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification,

in which similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a side view of my improved ditchingmachine. Fig. 2 is a plan View of the same, parts being broken out. Fig. 3 is a side view of the cam-track for governing the forks for raising the earth.

Two horizontal beams,A,are united at their front ends by a cross bar, B, and at their rear ends by a metal cross-bar, C.

On the front end of each beam A a roller, D, is journaled to revolve in a horizontal plane, the upper surfaces of the said rollers being below the bottom surface of the beams.

The rollers are grooved and the bottom 0 flauges.d,of the rollers project farther than the top flanges, so that the cableE running on the rollers cannot drop.

In the crossbar B a short vertical shaft, F, is journaled, on the lower end of which is mounted a grooved pulley, F, or in place of the same a sprocket-wheel can be used,around which pulley the chain or cable E passes.

On the upper end of the shaft F a bevel- 'pinion, F is mounted which engages with the 40 bevelpinion G, mounted ona horizontal shaft, G, journaled in suitable bearings on the ends of the cross-bar B. which shaft G is parallel with the longitudinal axis of the said crossbar. The shaft G projects some distance be 5 yond the ends of the cross-bar B, and'a short distance from one end of the said shaft G a sprocket-wheel or grooved pulley, G is mounted, over which a driving chain or cable, H, passes, which also passes over a grooved 5O pulley or sprocket-wheel, H, mounted onone end of a horizontal transverse shaft, J, journaled in the upper end of an upwardly-inclined beam, K, secured to one of the side bars, A,which inclined beam is supported and braced by an upright beam, K, secured to the 5 5 inner end of the corresponding side bar, A.

Between and below the side bars, A, a runner, L, is held, the bottom edge of which is horizontal, and is provided with a steel or other runner-strip provided at its front with '60 a tapered shoe or point, L; The top face of the said runner L is inclined upward from the front end of the runner to the rear ends of the side bars, A, and the said top of the runner increases in width from the lower front end to the rear ends of the side bars, A. The inclined top of the runner is provided with a coveringplate of steel or iron. The front end of the runner is supported from the side bars,

A, by hangers L secured to the sides of the runner and to the inner surface; of the side bars. The said hangers have sharp front edges and serve as cutters. The vertical cuttingblade M has its lower end secured on the front of the runner directly behind the beveled shoe L, and the upper end of the blade M is secured to an arm, M, projecting from one of the side bars, A. The rear end of therunner is braced and supported from the rear ends of the side bars, A, by L-shaped bars 1 On the rear part of the runner-that is, on the part behind the upper end of the inclined front edgea double mold-board, N, is secured, which mold-board gradually increases in width from the front toward the rear end, the front edge of the said double mold-board forming a continuation of the said top edge of the runner L.

In the upper end of the inclined arm K a transverse tubular shaft, 0, is held, through which the shaft J passes, the tubular shaft 0 being held rigidly in the upper end of the beam K. A notched wheel, 1?, is mounted on the inner end of the shaft J, and a like notched wheel, P, is mounted 011 a shaft, P", projecting from an arm, 0, secured to the inner end of the tubular shaft- O, and projecting down from the same about parallel with the inclined beam K.

Between the wheels 1 and 1? an arm, Q, is I00 secured on the arm or bar Q at rightangles to the arm or bar Q. and on each end of the armv Q a plate, Q", is secured.

Around the wheels P and P an endless chain. a passes. whi h is formed of links ll-.ltt1Vl1ll' tn-ir ends pivoted on short tubes R. the said tubes it? being placed such a distance apart, and the links It bcingofsuch length. that-the said pivots or tubes It can pass into the notches r" of the said wheels 1 and P. Between the wheels the strands of the chain are held separated by the bar Q, and its end plates, Q In every other t uhular pivot 11 a shaft. S, is jonrnaled, to the inner end of each of which shafts an arm, 1, is secured rigidly. and to the outer end of each shaft 55 a fork, V, is secured rigidly, the arms T being at right angles to the forks V.

To the free end of each arm T a roller, T. is pivoted, which. rollers are adapted to run on a segmental track, \V. and on an inclined T he track U is secured g and curved track, U. to and nojects laterally from the bottom edge of a plate, I, :l'astened on the upper end of the inclined beam 1i and the standard K, which plate I is provided on its upper segmental edge with a flange, U. projecting in the same direction as the track U. The segmental track \V is secured to the curved edge of a block, I, fastened on the plate I, whereby a trackgroovc wili be formed around. the block I.

The operation is as follows: The machine can be propelled forward in different was either by means of cables or by means ofhorses. which pull the machinedirectly. One end of the cable 15 is secured to a stump or other strong fixed object, and the other end is so cured to a wiinllass-drum, the rope is wound on the \vindlass-drnm, the machine is driven forward, and at the same time the pulley F is revolved, and by means of the bevel-gearing it t the shaft (i :is revolved, and revolves the other parts in a manner that will be described hereinafter; or driving wheels can be keyed on the ends of the shaft G, the said driving wheels resting on the ground at the sides of the ditch, and horses can be hitched to the .machine for pulling the same. In both cases the shaft G will be revolved. If the ma chine is pulledforward, the shoe L of the runner L digs down into the earth until the under side of the mold-board. h rests on the earth. The shoe L loosens the earth as the plow moves forward, the loosened earth slides up the inclined front edge of the runner L, the shaft G revolves the shaft J by means of the chain H, and thereby the endless chain R will be moved in the direction indicated by the arrow in Fig. 1. The chain moves the bottom forks, V, upward and the top forks downward. As the forks move upward they carry the earth up the inclined top edge of the runner L to the doublemoldhoard N, and then the earth slides down the two sides of the mold-board to the ground at the sides of the ditch. The rollers T of the arms T run over the track XV when the forks move downward, and run up the track if when the forks move upward. \Vhen the forks pass from thelower wheel. P,

down to the inclined edge of the runner. they vertical position, sothat all the earth. t\; '...can

drop from the same. As the rollers 1" pass over the inclined track U, they swingthe forks V in such a position that they will be about at right angles to the inclined top edge of the runner, in which position the forksremainuntil they again arrive at the upper end of the mohtboard.

Iflaving thus described my invention, what 1 claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

.1. The combination, in a ditching-machinc, of a series of carrier-forks the shafts of which are pi votally secured to an endless chain, arms firmly secured to the ends of the shafts of the forks, and cam-tracks within which the free ends of the arms are held at all times for lirmly holding and governing the inclination of the forks, with the ditch-cuttingdevice below said chain and forks, substantially as set forth.

A ditching-machine constructed with a runner having an inclined front face.and with an endless chain provided with forks for carrying the loosened earth up the inclined runner, which forks are connected with arms running on cam-tracks for governing their inclination, substantially as herein shown and described.

3. In a ditching-niacinne, the combination, with a frame carrying the digging or ditching apparatus. of a transverse shaft; journaled in the front of the machine, a series of forks secured on an endless chain, meansforoperating the forks from the front transverse shaft, a pulley held on the frame of the machine, around which pulley a cable or chain is to be passed, and of means for ope: ating the trans verse shaft from. the said pulley, substantially as herein shown and described.

at. in a ditching-machine, the combination, with a frame carrying the digging or ditching apparatus.ofa series of forks secured on an endless chain. the transverse shaft (.i. means for operating the endless forks carryii'lg chain. from the said shalt. the bevel cog-whetl G on the shaft G, the shaft F, and the cross-bar l) IIO oted 011 the front end of the machine, and adapted to support a cable passed around the pulley F, a digging or ditching apparatus, I

and means for raising the earth, which means are operated by suitable intermediate gearing and shafting from the'pulley F, substantially as herein shown and described.

6. The combination; with a ditching-niachine, of a digging or ditching apparatus. the sprocket-wheels P and P, the endless chain R. passed around the said wheels, 't'orks secured on the chain, and the cross-piece Q, arranged between the two wheels, substantially as herein shown and described.

7. In a ditching-machlne, the combination, with a ditching device, of notched wheels P and 'P, the chain Rpassing around the same, the shafts S,pa-ssing through the pivots of the I chain, forks V, secured on the shafts S at one end, arms T, secured to the shafts at the op- 20 posite ends. which arms T are preferably at right angles to the forks, and of cam-tracks for governing the position of the forks, sub stantially as herein shown and described.

8. In a digging-machine the combination, (with a digging or ditching device, of the l notched wheels P and P,the endless chain R, passed over them, the shafts S, the forks V, E and the arms T on the ends of the shafts S, i the rollers Ton thea1nisT,and the cam-tracks l 30 U and \V, on which the rollers T run, substantially as herein shown and described.

CHARLES SHELMIDIND: \Vitnesses: SIDNEY SHELMIDINE, l D. WJRODERIcK.

l l l 

